I've used Vantive Sales, Siebel Sales Enterprise, and Onyx. They are all too difficult to use for your average rep. Most reps use the system because it's a job requirement, not because it helps them sell more.
They all have slick looking GUIs, I'd say Siebel's is the best but it's just my personal preference. Nothing sells an SFA app better than a nice looking GUI.
I sell software for a living, in fact I used to sell SFA software, so I'm a bit jaded I suppose. The bottom line is that they are all so difficult to use that most sales reps will resist using them for anything more than pipeline and forecast management. Most of the reps at the SFA company where I worked were not shy in expressing their distaste for their own SFA app, they hated eating their own dog food.
The differences between them mainly come down to how well they're implemented. Siebel and Vantive have good toolsets and can be extensively customized. They are all quite "resource intensive" to customize though, even with the toolsets, which is why the big 6 system integrators love them....nice big juicy engagements! Onyx is quite rigid compared to Siebel and Vantive, which means it's quicker to implement (good for the mid market) but not nearly as easy to use.
From the standpoint of sales management they're great because they enable a VP of Sales to roll up a global forecast at the touch of a button. This is how they get sold, a VP of Sales believes it will give him greater visibility on the pipeline, but it's a fallacy. The forecast data is usually not up-to-date because the reps don't use the system in their day-to-day contact management so they don't think to update the forecast information until they are prompted to revise their forecast.
That's my take, FWIW. |
